D126: Saturate or Isolate

As a new photog I admit that I tend to experiment with the many different styles of other photogs. I like what I see and want to see if I can do it too. Although I’m pleased with the results, sometimes I’m not truly satisfied because I haven’t fully explored my own creative talents. I consider this mimicking part of the process of learning the skills that will allow me to create what I envision. These are skills that I build on to create my own individual style.

Do you mimic the work of others or do what’s true to who you are as a photographer?

My first image was practicing shooting at f/1.8 to create artistic bokeh. It’s been done hundreds of times before but now I know how to create this type of shot. With a little more practice I’ll have another skill under my belt. DOF is very thin and can be difficult to isolate the subject perfectly without patience.

This second image is me. This just happens to be an image that I liked from today’s adventure. I grabbed it by leaning out of my car window while waiting in queue at a drive-thru car wash. Of course I didn’t focus perfectly on the intended subject (the pink flowers) but over all the image still sparks interest.